Memos vs Outline

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureMemosOutline
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseMITBSL-1.1
LanguageGoTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM64 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker
GitHub stars★ 62,093★ 40,034
First released20222017
ReplacesNotion, Google KeepNotion, Confluence

Why pick each one

Choose Memos if…

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Quick capture workflow
  • Simple deployment
Memos details

Choose Outline if…

  • Polished team wiki
  • Great search
  • Strong integrations
Outline details

Frequently asked questions

Is Memos or Outline better?

Memos is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Outline if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Memos and Outline free and open-source?

Yes. Memos is licensed under MIT and Outline under BSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Memos and Outline with Docker?

Memos: yes. Outline: yes.

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